Way back in 1986, before craft brewing was even cool, Summit Brewing Company Founder and President Mark Stutrud set out in St. Paul, Minnesota, to make craft beers inspired by old-world brewing traditions and ingredients. More than 30 years have passed since he first brewed our flagship Summit Extra Pale Ale, and it’s safe to say he freaking nailed it.
Today, Summit Brewing continues to infuse traditional recipes with modern ingredients from around the world, crafting high-quality and consistent craft beer out of respect for the hardworking folks who enjoy our beer.
And because we’re independently owned and operated, we get to make craft beer our way. That means relying on natural carbonation, protecting the foam, and celebrating the true dance between malts, hops, water, and yeast. It means protecting the environment, supporting the community and the arts, being kind to animals, and always having one more beer with our friends and family even if we’re already late for rotary club. It means drinking our beer fresh and cold, because warm storage turns good beer to shit. And it means never settling for “good enough,” always pulling the goalie when we’ve got a chance to win, swinging for the fences, and never, ever forgetting where we come from. Grain country represent.
12 oz bottle-pours a rich white head that laces and hazy yellow color. Aroma is clove, earthy, light/medium malt. Taste is clove/nutmeg, earthy-maybe slight chocolate, spice hops. OK carbonation. Thanks to Joe-jwc215 for picking this out.
12 oz bottle-pours a white head and yellow color. Aroma is grain, Euroskunk, musty, lime/spice hops. Taste is grain, musty/cardboard, spice/herbal hops. Lots of carbonation in the back of the throat. As it warms, some sweetness/honey comes through and cardboard eases. Thanks to Joe-jwc215 for picking this out.
Bottle as shown. Pours a cloudy yellow gold with a small frothy white head that lasts awhile. The aroma is clove, banana, and citrus. Decent spotty lacing on the glass. Thin mouthfeel with a banana and lemon zest with a nice dry finish. Very refreshing, a good hefe from Summit.
Bottle. Pours a clear gold with a large creamy white head that lasts awhile that leaves behind good sticky lacing along the glass. The aroma is a skunky malt with citrus and grass. Thin mouthfeel with a yeasty malt taste and light hop flavor. A decent heller bock from Summit.
Bottle. Pours a clear amber with a medium creamy off white head that leaves behind good sticky lacing along the glass. The aroma is a floral hop with grapefruit and pine. Thin mouthfeel with a cascade hop taste with grapefruit and caramel with a nice bitter finish. A very good amber ale from Summit.
12oz shorty bottle. Tan-orange color, with only some faint haze, underneath a respectable white head. Sweet, malt dominated aroma with some Hefe-yeast qualities seeping through. Some candy sugar orange flavors, pretty sweet and sugary for the style. The low ABV allows it to still be mellow, but I find this one sort of misses the mark. Cloying sweet finish. Not a good example of the style.
12oz bottle. Pale, filtered orange-yellow. Minimal thin head. Dry, sugary aroma with some Saazy hop character. Pretty balanced and smooth, with some quality Pils character. Not overly thin or watery, this is a good example of the style. Not quite world class, but a great session beer any day. Some yeasty Lager nuances, washed in a Saaz bath.
12oz shorty bottle. Hazy orange, with a effervescent carbonation and head. Fragrant spiced candy orange aroma. Heavily spiced, but with a creamy, fluffy body that makes it highly palatable. Spicy aftertaste, certainly not trying to be a Hoegaarden clone. Sage, cardamom, clove. Pretty good.
12 oz bottle–pours a rocky/foamy light tan head and amber color. Aroma is pungent/herbal/resin hops, medium malt-peat. Taste is pungent/herbal/resin/lemon hops with some bite, light/medium malt-peat. Nice hops and varied from medium to light body. Thanks to Joe-jwc215 for picking this out.
12 oz bottle–pours a rich foamy off white head and orange/amber color. Aroma is citrus-orange?/coppery hops, light malt-caramel/biscuity. Taste is tea-herbal/metallic/coppery, dry hops, light/medium malt. Dirty penny finish. Thanks to Joe-jwc215 for picking this out.